Thursday, September 23, 2010

If you were ever curious about the accordion, now is your chance to find out! The Edmonton Accordion Society's "Accordion Extravaganza" takes place this weekend (September 24-26) and includes concerts, workshops, competitions, craft tables, trade show, a dance, AND, a pancake breakfast! Do you need any more reasons to go??

Take in the big show and help celebrate fifteen years of accordion excellence in Edmonton.

THE BIG BAND is back! Performers from Of One Accord Ensemble, Friends & Neighbors Band, Party Pals Accordion Quartet and other accomplished players combine their talents to create this extraordinary accordion band.

The Big Band, directed by Margaret Miller, will play a variety of familiar and energetic selections. Vocalists Kathy Dalberg and Eric Mork, plus violinist Dianne Tebby will create a truly memorable program.

Michael Bridge - IN CONCERT! At age eight, Calgarian Michael Bridge attended his first Accordion Extravaganza festival. Now seventeen years old, this accordion virtuoso returns to Edmonton for his 10th consecutive Extravaganza as a seasoned entertainer. Michael will perform on both chromatic free bass and piano accordions.

In 2009, Michael performed at the Las Vegas International Accordion Convention and at the Leavenworth International Accordion Festival. He was honoured to represent Canada as a performer at an international accordion festival in France under the banner of the Accordeon Club Lorrain. This past summer he also appeared as a solo headliner at the Kimberley International Accordion Championships.

Michael, at age 14 and again at 16, released his CD's entitled "My Stuff" and "Sharon's Song" comprised entirely of his own, original compositions.

Michael has wowed audiences wherever he has performed. Don't miss your opportunity to hear this top-notch accordionist and extraordinary entertainer.

The Mattierin School of Irish Dancing kick-starts the concert with skilled young performers showcasing the joy of Irish dancing. Noted accordionist Mervin Bell will accompany the dancers' high energy performance.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

We'll be celebrating Arnold Schoenberg's 134th birthday and with an hour of music and cool information about Schoenberg presented by Paul Hesselink, visiting lecturer from Las Vegas, Nevada.

We begin with a performance of Schoenberg's Variations on a Recitative by Dr. Marnie Giesbrecht and end with a rarely performed two-piano version of the same work by Celius Daugherty (very effective!) performed by Duo Majoya in a historic pairing of these two works.

Among scholars and organists it has been known that the commissioning and publication of the "Variations on a Recitative" for Organ, Op. 40 by Arnold Schoenberg generated a controversy and a dispute which lasted ten years and was resolved only by Schoenberg's death in 1951.

The definitive details of that story have been pieced together through the assemblage of the pertinent correspondence which has survived in the Schoenberg letters as found in the collection at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.

Oh, and you will also want to learn about Schoenberg’s acute triscadecaphobia! (Look that up in your Funk and Wagnall!)

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As a former performer and teacher, Classical Music in Edmonton allows me to promote the work of local musicians, enable more Edmontonians to attend concerts, and encourage the performance of great music in Edmonton and Northern Alberta.

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